🎸 Rock · 2000s

Cold by Crossfade (Solo · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Crossfade · solo

The Cold by Crossfade guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, dialed in at gain 7.5/10, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

7.5
GAIN
6
BASS
5.5
MID
7
TREBLE
6
PRESENCE
2.5
REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7.5 sits well above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 5.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9
VOLUME
7-8
TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Unknown (likely a dual-humbucker solidbody, possibly PRS or ESP/LTD, based on genre/era and band photos, but not confirmed for studio recording of 'Cold') · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, ENGL Powerball, or Line 6 Vetta II (forum speculation, not confirmed for 'Cold' solo recording)

Studio recording, 2004. No direct confirmation of exact guitar or amp model for the solo section. Forum sources suggest Mesa/Boogie, ENGL, and Line 6 Vetta II were used by Ed Sloan, but not tied to this specific song/solo. No pedalboard or studio photo evidence found.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier songs & tones →🎚️ PRS Custom 24 songs & tones →🎚️ ENGL songs & tones →🎚️ Line 6 (POD / Helix) songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup (inferred, typical for high-gain solos in this genre/era)

Signal chain

Unknown (likely a dual-humbucker solidbody, possibly PRS or ESP/LTD, based on genre/era and band photos, but not confirmed for studio recording of 'Cold') → Delay pedal (model unknown) → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, ENGL Powerball, or Line 6 Vetta II (forum speculation, not confirmed for 'Cold' solo recording)

Effects

delay, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (digital, level 3)

Tone character

crunchy and saturated, aggressive yet melodic, singing sustain, tight and punchy attack, modern high-gain clarity, anthemic and soaring lead lines, slightly scooped mids, bright but not harsh top end, focused low end, smooth legato phrasing

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, loud dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Cold sound.

Difficulty

3/5 · Solo

The solo requires intermediate-level phrasing, expressive bends, and clean articulation with delay, but does not feature advanced shredding or complex techniques.

Worth knowing

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →
🎧 Can you guess the tone?
Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →
🎸 Which guitar legend is your tone twin? Take the quiz & share your result →

Cold guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Cold guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 7.5, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 2.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Cold tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Unknown (likely a dual-humbucker solidbody, possibly PRS or ESP/LTD, based on genre/era and band photos, but not confirmed for studio recording of 'Cold') · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, ENGL Powerball, or Line 6 Vetta II (forum speculation, not confirmed for 'Cold' solo recording); delay, reverb.

Can I get the Cold tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like Crossfade on Cold — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup (inferred, typical for high-gain solos in this genre/era), the amp EQ above (gain 7.5, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 2.5), and delay, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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Sources

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More like this

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Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com